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3232159402125German Onomatopoeia: Where the Cow Says ‘Muh’https://berlinspectator.com/2020/05/27/german-onomatopoeia-where-the-cow-says-muh-and-the-dog-wau-2/
Wed, 27 May 2020 06:55:00 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=11096Animal languages may be difficult to learn. The fact that the entire world, except for the three German-speaking countries, is messing them up speaks for itself. Once and for all: It's 'Muh' and not 'Moo'. ]]>

Animal languages may be difficult to learn. The entire world is wrong about them, except for the three German-speaking countries. Once and for all: The cow says ‘Muh’.

A cow named Sandy who lives within the borders of Germany, Austria or the German-speaking part of Switzerland will get hungry now and then. When she does, she will say “Muh”. When she is thirsty, she will make her farmer aware of that issue by saying “Muh”. And once she believes she needs to be milked she will express that wish by saying “Muh”. When the vet puts on his rubber glove, “Muh” is the usual reaction.

‘Muh’ with a Capital ‘M’

Let’s get the following out of the way: All of those transcriptions of cow language from the English-speaking world, Asia, Spain or Latin America are erroneous. Muh! Guys, it’s not “moo”, it’s not “momo”, even though the Japanese insist it is, and it’s not “meuh” either, dear Frenchmen. Je suis désolé. It’s “Muh” with a capital ‘M’.

By the way: Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates a sound.

Let’s pick a dog. Jim, the terrier mix, does experience issues when he travels to the United Kingdom. First of all, they will put him in quarantine for months, just in case he is the first dog in 150 years who has rabies. Secondly he will not be understood that well.

There are different ways to open doors. Picture by Fern Weirich

When he feels like playing with another dog he meets at Hyde Park, he will say “Wau”. By saying “Wau” again, he reiterates his wish to play. Or let’s say he wants to tell his owner someone is trying to break into the bed & breakfast place they are staying at, at 4 in the morning. In this case he would say “Wau” several times.

Singing Pigs

His friends in England say “woof”. Those in Latin America ‘”guau”, in Japan dogs actually say “wan”, while it is “meong” in Korea, “blaf” in the Netherlands, “voff” in Iceland and “guk” in Indonesia. “Guk”? Are you kidding me? “Wau”!

“The cow says ‘moo’, the sheep says ‘baa’, three singing pigs say ‘lalalala’.” This is what it says in the cutest baby toddler book ever, written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton from New Jersey. But it’s actually “Muh”, “Mäh” and “Grunz”. Besides: The horse does not say “neigh” but “Wieher”.

Let’s not even start with cats. They say “nyan” in Japan and “yaong” in Korea. But cat language actually sounds very similar in Germany, the English-speaking world and several other countries. “Miau”, the German version, is almost like “meow” in English or “miaou” in French. Oui, mes amis!

Advanced Onomatopoeia

In Germany, the duck says “Quak”, and so does the frog. The donkey says “i-a-i-a”, the rooster “Kikeriki”, the hen “Gak Gak”, the pig “Grunz” and the mouse “Piep”. The cuckoo in the woods will say “Kuckuck”. So, please, lay and egg, have a cookie and study German animal language. Do not forget the capital letter at the beginning.

Of course onomatopoeia does not end there. Slamming a wooden door will sound like “Kawumm” in German. Breaking it open might sound like “crac” in French or maybe “Krach” in German. Kicking the ball sounds like this: “Kabolz”. “Boing” is the sound of a car crashing into another, “Klirr” the sound of breaking glass.

Clicking the left mouse button to upload this Pulitzer Prize-worthy in-depth article full of wisdom sounds like this: “Klick”.

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income.As of May 7th, 2020, we made an average of 74 Euro per month since starting the project, which is far from enough.Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. If you like what we do and you want to support us, you can do soby clicking here(Paypal).Thank you so much!

]]>11096Zoo Berlin: Where Lions and Tigers are Not Being Fedhttps://berlinspectator.com/2020/03/13/zoo-berlin-where-lions-and-tigers-are-not-being-fed-2/
Fri, 13 Mar 2020 06:34:00 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=5582Then, once everything was covered, the enthusiastic visitor might want to enter the aquarium at Zoo Berlin's southern exit. Wow! The kind of beautiful underwater worlds displayed here will mesmerize anyone. Jellyfish, both transparent and colorful ones, and hundreds of other fish, reptiles and spiders are waiting to be seen.]]>

Welcome to Zoo Berlin, located right in the middle of it all. Take an S-Bahn or U-Bahn train to ‘Zoologischer Garten’ station, walk a few meters, and there you are. Some 20,000 animals of a total of 1400 species are waiting to be admired.

At Zoo Berlin, feeding any of the animals accommodated there is strictly forbidden. We need to eat our bananas ourselves. There is one exception: At the petting zoo, children may feed goats and sheep, but not the other way around. No visitors get petted at the petting zoo either.

By the way: Zoo keepers at this facility do not feed lions, panthers, tigers or jaguars. If they wanted to, they would have to look for them for a long time. That is because there are none. All feline predators were sent to other zoos in early 2018.

New Accommodations

There was a good reason for getting rid of those animals: Their home, the Predator House, badly needed to be renovated and modernized. Originally, the construction period was supposed to last until Zoo Berlin’s 175th anniversary last year. But the construction is still going on right now.

“The renovation and modernization of the Predator House was long overdue”, the zoo’s director Andreas Knieriem concedes. “I am therefore all the happier that our new facilities will actually exceed current expert guidelines for the keeping of mammals.”

The aquarium is breathtaking. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Not only that, but visiting the feline predators, once they are back, will supposedly be a whole new experience. Those tigers and lions will be closer to the visitors, since the zoo is throwing the traditional cage concept overboard. Only windows will separate the amazed visitors from the over-sized cats.

But let’s start at the beginning. Entering the premises through Lion’s Gate (‘Löwentor’), located between the rhinos and the elephants, is a good idea. Via the hippos, one of the many paths leads to the petting zoo and the World of Birds area. Spotting many of the birds in their cages can be tricky.

Copulating Pandas

Some of the most beautiful animals in the entire zoo are those polar wolves. They are busy kissing and licking each other’s muzzles on a regular basis. It looks like a greeting ritual within their pack. Their neighbors, the polar bears, like to hide at times, just like the pheasants.

Zoo Berlin in the Coronavirus CrisisOn April 28th, 2020, the zoo reopened the outdoor part of its premises after it had to close for a month. Restrictions apply.

The penguins, but also the zebras and other African species live in beautiful little worlds created for them. Sure, they are fenced in too, but they seemed happier than some of the primates in the Monkey House. Located right next to the Penguin World site, the pool for seals and sea lions is great.

Visitors can watch them doing their spins through a glass panel at one of the most interesting spots at Zoo Berlin. Kindergarten groups frequently sit here, at least they did before the Coronavirus hit, watching seals race by. These swimmers are about as fast as the kangaroos in the Australian section of the zoo.

The entire city of Berlin discussed copulating pandas in April of last year, because that is exactly what Jiao Qing, a male, and his girlfriend Meng Meng did seven times. Experts from China, where these pandas are from, studied their every move. In order to be on the safe side, they used an ‘electric ejaculator’ as well.

Superstars Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan

As it turns out, all the efforts taken by the pandas themselves and the human experts paid off. Two cute baby pandas with flight tickets to Beijing were born in early September of 2019. Months later they were named Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan. Since Germans might run into issues trying to pronounce those names, they gave them German ones too, namely Pit and Paule. They are active pandas by now who love playing. At this stage, the panda kids are still in the process of getting used to human zoo visitors.

Jiao Qing and Meng Meng were the only giant pandas in Germany before their children were born. They were moved to Berlin, directly from China, in the summer of 2017. Since, they have become the biggest sensation at Zoo Berlin.

At this zoo, visitors who want to see it all will have to take at least 10,000 steps. For smaller children, renting one of those handcarts is a brilliant idea. So is visiting the very nice playground close to the wolves and bears.

Then, once everything was covered, the enthusiastic visitor might want to enter the aquarium at Zoo Berlin’s southern exit. Wow! The kind of beautiful underwater worlds displayed here will mesmerize anyone. Jellyfish, both transparent and colorful ones, and hundreds of other fish, reptiles and spiders are waiting to be seen.

Countless jellyfish impress visitors right there in the aquarium. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Zoo Berlin is definitely one of the most important sightseeing spots in Berlin. Far more than three million visitors come here every year. The facility dates back to 1844. On August 1st of that year, the zoo was established at a different location. Over the years and decades, this first German zoo kept on growing.

Zoo Berlin’s History: The Important Question

Whenever businesses or facilities in Germany were founded before 1945, an important question arises: What happened during the Nazi times? From 1932 to 1945, Director Lutz Heck was in charge. He was an avid hunter. This was something he shared with his friend Hermann Göring, one of the worst among Hitler’s henchmen. As a convinced antisemite, Heck made sure Jews were not allowed to visit the zoo.

At the end of World War II, the premises were bombed along with the rest of Berlin. Out of more than 3700 animals the zoo had at that time, only 91 survived. Among them were two lions, an elephant, a hippo named ‘Knautschke’, ten baboons and one chimpanzee. The zoo was destroyed almost completely.

Once Nazi Germany was finally defeated, Katharina Heinroth took over. Back then, she was the only female zoo director in Germany. During her time in office, she oversaw the reconstruction and had a Hippo House built.

Two Berlin Zoos and their TV Stars

When Berlin was divided, East Berlin, the capital of the communist GDR, had its own zoo, the ‘Tierpark’, while Zoo Berlin was in West Berlin. Since Germany’s reunification, Berlin has two zoos. They do cooperate. Both of them are the scenes of the popular German TV show ‘Panda, Gorilla & Co.’.

Zoo Berlin invites visitors to witness feedings. There are evening tours after the official opening hours.

A zoo like this one needs funds. For that purpose, a partnership program was created. Donors can ‘adopt’ animals, meaning they will pay for them on a monthly basis. Once a certain amount is exceeded, the donor’s name will be displayed at the cage or aquarium.

Several kinds of tickets are available, including one for small families, and another for large ones. Prices depend on whether the visitors will enter the aquarium as well. They range from 8 Euro (9 Dollars or 7 Pounds Sterling) for a regular children’s ticket to 51 Euro (57 Dollars or 46 Pounds) for a large family. The latter covers the admission to both the zoo and the aquarium.

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income. This is something we urgently need to change. Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. Our donations page can be found here.

]]>5582Hamburg: Photo Models Bribed with Bread Crumbshttps://berlinspectator.com/2020/03/10/hamburg-photo-models-bribed-with-bread-crumbs-3/
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:08:00 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=4765There is a lot to be learned from those beautiful swans on the 'Binnenalster' lake in Hamburg, for instance about the justification of bribery in a case like this one. These birds knew what they wanted. But I had expectations as well.]]>

There is a lot to be learned from those beautiful swans on the ‘Binnenalster’ lake in Hamburg, for instance about the justification of bribery in a case like this one.

At first, the models were not very motivated. By staring at the photographer the way they did, they conveyed an unambiguous message: “If you want to shoot us, go to the bakery located three blocks away and get us some bread rolls. Feed them to us in crumbs and you will get your damned photos.”

Moment for Sacrifice

Their high self-esteem was already obvious. Some arrogance was noticeable as well. But what do you expect from creatures this beautiful at one of the nicest spots on the face of the Earth?

The negotiations were tough. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

While walking over to the bakery I was thinking of getting them cake instead, part of which we would have consumed ourselves. But this was the moment for sacrifice. It was all about getting good shots.

For 1.25 Euro (1.40 Dollar or 1.10 Pound Sterling), we fell for the ‘Five Bread Rolls Special’. In no time we were back at the ‘Binnenalster‘ lake, where the photo models were already waiting.

“Next time you want us to pose for you, deliver the bread a little faster”, they said. But then, finally, they put on their professional model look. It became obvious they had done this before when they swam towards us in several well-rehearsed formations.

This is how we got the most stunning shots of the most stunning creatures at the most stunning spot of the most stunning city. The sad part of the story: Without bribery we would not have gotten anywhere.

There is something I was unaware of when I fed those swans: Experts say swans and other birds should not be fed bread at all. This is what it says on the ‘Beauty of Birds’ website: “When feeding water fowl, it is best to stay as close to their natural diet as possible. In summer, the diet of swans consists mainly of aquatic vegetation, eaten while swimming, such as underwater plants and algae. They are also insectivores and will eat small insects. At other times of year, they also eat cultivated grains in open fields.”

]]>4765Germany: First Storks Show Up in Brandenburghttps://berlinspectator.com/2020/03/05/storks-come-to-germany-in-growing-numbers-2/
Thu, 05 Mar 2020 07:18:00 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=8037Storks have always fascinated humans, for several reasons. The Number of storks in Germany has been increasing for a while. In Brandenburg province, it seems to be falling now.]]>

Storks have always fascinated humans, for several reasons. The Number of storks in Germany has been increasing for a while. In Brandenburg province, it seems to be falling now.

Two hundred years ago, there were questions about storks nobody could answer. Where do they come from? Where do they go in winter? Which routes do they take? Then, German scientists hit the jackpot one day, when they found a stork which was slightly injured by an arrow it brought along. That weapon was traced back to Africa.

Luck and Babies

Some one hundred years ago, things became a little easier. Storks were equipped with tiny metal rings around their legs with registration numbers. That way, they could finally be tracked. Out of the ringed birds, one in three was found again later. According to the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in the picturesque fishery village of Seewiesen in Bavaria, those storks created three data points, on average.

Back then, the Danish author Hans-Christian Andersen had spread the legend according to which storks bring human babies to families. It was the perfect answer to the big question most children ask their parents, at least to moms and dads who would never talk to the little ones about sexuality.

According to another legend, storks bring luck. As opposed to the one with the babies, this legend was never proven wrong. But, if those big white birds with their long legs and beaks really bring luck, they do so on two main routes. Yes, researchers were beginning to understand what exactly storks really do.

Storks are Europeans

Europe was divided into East and West during the Cold War. In a different way it still is. Guess what: So are storks. Just like Europeans, they are made up of easterners and westerners. Except they do not carry passports and do not give a damn about borders between countries.

Eastern storks tend to come to western and northern Europe between February and April. Once the ground freezes, they return to parts of Africa. While many of these birds used to fly 10,000 kilometers (6200 miles), all the way to South Africa, they seem to prefer Chad, Sudan and Egypt now.

These two storks, possibly males, may have been fighting for a female. Photo: Ivan Kitanov

Numerous storks breed along the way when they head north again. In the Middle East, they seem to prefer countries which start with the letter ‘i’, namely Iraq, Iran and Israel. They also love Mecca, meaning they are obviously pilgrims. Further up, in south-eastern Europe, hundreds of storks breed in Bulgaria every year. Generally speaking, eastern storks seem to be flying more than their western colleagues.

English Channel is Taboo

The latter tend to breed in central Europe, including Germany. When it gets cold, many of these birds fly to Morocco via France, Spain and Gibraltar. But, probably thanks to climate change, more and more storks just stay in Europe, as long as the winter is mild. There is one country they never fly to, namely the United Kingdom. Somehow they do not feel like crossing the English Channel.

But they run into trouble, even during the times they regularly breed in Europe. In 2018, storks got caught by sudden icy winds. In Bulgaria, farmers and other villagers tried to save many of them by taking them home for a while. Those birds were suffering from frozen wings. They could hardly move. But, according to experts, storks are not as vulnerable as they might seem, even in the cold.

In Germany, the number of storks has been increasing for a while. The Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) says, there had been 9000 breeding pairs in this country in the early 1930s. That number slumped to under 3000 in 1988. In 1994, more than 4150 pairs were counted in Germany. Then we were back at around 7000 breeding pairs.

Brandenburg Storks

In Brandenburg, the numbers seem to be decreasing now, from more than 1400 storks in 2013 to less than 1200 in 2019. The RBB quoted a NABU representative who said the birds could not find enough food in this region anymore. The first stork, a beauty named “Kurtchen Rotschnabel”, reportedly arrived almost a month ago, on February 9th. He has a nest in Bad Freienwalde. Others have also settled in their nests already.

There are other eastern German provinces the beautiful birds like too, including Mecklenburg-Hither Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt, but they increasingly pick western German ones, such as Lower Saxony, North-Rhine Westphalia and Hesse.

Living Room Window

While scientists use high-tech devices and millions of data to study storks, others just need the luck those birds bring. Some 2000 kilometers (1242 miles) south-east of Frankfurt, in the small Bulgarian town of Samokov, Ivan Kitanov is the lucky guy.

A breeding couple looks right into the Nikon lens. Photo: Ivan Kitanov

He has a first class view, since there is a highly populated stork nest right outside his living room window. Kitanov also owns a rather big Nikon camera. This combination, along with the know-how he brings in, turns out to be perfect for quality shots.

Ivan Kitanov shot all stork pictures in this article. He caught them breeding, resting and even fighting. The Bulgarian photographer welcomes them in early spring and says goodbye to them in fall. He probably calls them by their first names by now.

By the way: The publication you are reading, The Berlin Spectator, was established in January of 2019. We have worked a whole lot, as you can see. But there has hardly been any income. This is something we urgently need to change. Would you consider contributing? We would be very thankful. Our donations page can be found here.

]]>8037Bulgaria: Unlimited Love at a Dog Kennelhttps://berlinspectator.com/2020/02/09/unlimited-love-at-a-dog-kennel/
Sun, 09 Feb 2020 06:42:00 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=6778Animal Rescue Sofia runs a large dog kennel in Bulgaria. The organization accepts responsibility for stray dogs, abused, abandoned and ill ones, puppies and other animals. Here, a small team and some volunteers are on a mission impossible. As it turns out, love alone does not feed hungry dogs. Eva from Paris is part of […]]]>

Animal Rescue Sofia runs a large dog kennel in Bulgaria. The organization accepts responsibility for stray dogs, abused, abandoned and ill ones, puppies and other animals. Here, a small team and some volunteers are on a mission impossible. As it turns out, love alone does not feed hungry dogs.

Eva from Paris is part of the team at the Animal Rescue Sofia (ARS) kennel located a few miles east of Sofia. “I came here a year ago”, she says. “I spoke to the team for an hour and told them I wanted to work with them. They gave me the job.” It was no coincidence.

Some 220 mostly cute dogs are waiting for adoption. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

The former weightlifter with the bright smile and countless tattoos on her face, arms and legs is a “dog whisperer”, according to her colleagues. With a lot of love and the right approach she manages to get along with themost aggressive dogs. She is the one who makes sure they make friends among the other dogs here.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Since Eva, the energetic French lady, started working at ARS, she has not had a single vacation. Once the volunteers and some colleagues return from their summer holiday, she intends to leave for a few days to visit her family in Paris.

What am I incarcerated for? Photo: The Berlin Spectator

On an extremely hot Saturday in August, she was busy talking to her four-legged fosterlings. Who let the dogs out? Eva did. On this day, a bunch of them were allowed to run around and play on the premises.

The kennel has found human ‘parents’ for 7000 dogs. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Three years earlier, on another hot day, Stella, a Bulgarian ARS employee, was so glad because running water had just been installed in the kennel. Up until that moment, the team had been forced to work with water tanks. Over the years, Stella, Eva and many other team members and volunteers, including Nadia Stancheva, ARS’s CEO, and Svetlio Petrov, have kept the labor of love going, under rather difficult circumstances.

7000 Dogs Rehomed

Money has been an issue all along. In fall, the financial situation at ARS was alarming after a few dogs needed surgery for 9000 Bulgarian Leva (5154 U.S. Dollars or 4283 Pounds Sterling). Donations are still badly needed. Animal Rescue Sofia (their donation page can be found here) needs to rely on them.

Some old doggies are up for adoption as well. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Stray dogs constantly come to ARS. At first, they are being checked and neutered. In the past five years, more than 12,000 dogs were treated accordingly. Some dogs, including abused ones, need surgery. Others will be directly accommodated in the many kennels on the premises. At this stage, 220 dogs live there.

The kennel is located 15 minutes from Sofia. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

While some dogs stay there for several years, others are being adopted. Since the beginning, ARS has found new homes for as many as 7000 dogs. Their new families live in Bulgaria and abroad. While many Bulgarians prefer to buy purebreds in spite of the ongoing stray dog crisis in their country, others do adopt animals at ARS. So do expatriates living in Bulgaria.

Adoption in Western Europe

But hundreds of dogs have moved to Switzerland, Germany, France and other Western European countries, where they become part of loving families and individuals. Sending the dogs over costs money. But if the new foster parents do not pick up their new pets, ARS has to invest funds the organization does not have.

Horses, mules, goats and pigs are a minority at ARS. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Fifteen years ago, Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, was full of stray dogs. They would roam the streets at night in packs, search the trash for food and leave their droppings all over the place. At times, they attacked and even killed pedestrians. At some point, Sofia Municipality took action.

‘Dog whisperer’ Eva from France was part of the team in summer. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

According to animal protection organizations and media reports, dozens of stray dogs were caught every day and beaten to death. Activists did not just want to watch it happen. They founded little centers in which the dogs from the streets would be neutered and marked. At the same time, they tried to find human parents for them.

The Kennel in Dolni Bogrov

In 2008, after the Sofia Parliament finally passed the Animal Protection Act, the state adapted to the ‘castrate and return’ policy private organizations were already following. The stray dog population has since visibly decreased in Sofia’s city center, and to a certain extent in the outskirts.

Bulgarians often buy purebreds even though the kennels are crowded. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

One of the private organizations, Animal Rescue Sofia (ARS), which does its work with a lot of love, has grown a lot since it was founded in 2009. In 2013, ARS set up its large dog kennel in the village of Dolni Bogrov, where it purchased an industrial building with donations it had collected.

There are countless puppies too. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Especially the first years were difficult. A construction company finally made sure ARS got running water in 2016.

Horses, Mules and Pigs

The shelter in Dolni Bogrov is not just for dogs. ARS has given a home to horses that were abused by their former owners. There are goats, pigs and even a mule. The organization wants to allow abused animals to live the rest of their lives in dignity.

Most doggies in Dolni Bogrov are peaceful and cute. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Coming to the animal shelter will trigger a loud barking concert. There are separate kennels for doggies with a normal behavior. Some of them want to show the visitor how well behaved they are. They give them a good impression from the first moment since they might be hoping to be adopted.

Others bark like crazy, to protect themselves, just in case. This morning, one aggressive dog shows his teeth and jumps alarmingly high. Luckily he does not manage to jump over the fence. In the next two kennels, a blind dog and a few very old ones have their home. Volunteers come and walk them once in a while. The fenced kennels around this former industrial building have an inside and an outside part.

Adoption Procedure

Behind the small administration building, which is also the storage shed, the area for horses, mules, donkeys, pigs and goats is located. Next to them, puppies have their refuge. They are so cute, everyone wants to adopt all of them at once, but few actually take one of them home.

All of them could win beauty contests. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Some of the tiny ones are obviously siblings, such as a bunch of beauties with white coats. The puppies rest in the cooler shade, but in order to greet the human visitors they come to the fence and eagerly lick as many hands as they can.

ARS was has been helping dogs for 10 years. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Families or individuals who want to adopt a dog from ARS should come to the premises, pick one (or be picked by one) and socialize with the doggy they want. Then they should leave without it and come back the next day, in order to play with the chosen one more and show their love. Also they need to answer questions, since the organization wants to make sure its dogs go to the right people.

High Expenses per Dog

People who can not adopt any dog but still want to help can do so by donating through the ARS website or on site. The kennel always needs dog food and other items.

Feeding a dog costs 20 Euro per month. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

Before any abused, abandoned or stray dog can be accommodated, 76 Euro (86 Dollars or 71 Pounds) need to be invested for the vaccinations it needs, the neutering, the blood count, tick infections tests as well as a dog passport. Feeding a dog for a month costs about 20 Euro (23 Dollars or 19 Pounds), on average. The costs for additional medical treatment need to be added.

Lots of ARS dogs have been sent abroad. Photo: The Berlin Spectator

In a country and a region in which many dogs are being abused as ‘living door bells’ on short chains, the ARS team gives unlimited amounts of love to the dogs and other animals they accommodate. But love alone does not fill stomachs.

]]>6778Berlin: Panda Babies with Flight Tickets to Beijinghttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/10/18/berlin-panda-babies-with-flight-tickets-to-beijing-2/
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 11:33:53 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=7511Our toys are made in China. The same applies to our sleek smart phones. As it turns our, our giant pandas at Zoo Berlin were also made in China, but not their offspring. Still, the tiny ones will move to the Middle Kingdom.]]>

Update October 18th, 2019

Our toys are made in China. The same applies to our sleek smart phones. As it turns out, our giant pandas at Zoo Berlin were also made in China, but not their offspring. Still, the baby pandas will move to the Middle Kingdom once they are bigger.

Since June 23rd, 2017, Zoo Berlin (read separate article ‘Zoo Berlin: Where Lions and Tigers are Not Being Fed’) has accommodated two giant pandas. They are Meng Meng, a female, and her boyfriend Jiao Qing. In April, the two copulated. The entire city talked about that event.

Helping Nature

Behind the scenes, the whole thing was not as romantic as it may have seemed. Chinese experts were on site when it happened, but they could not be sure Meng Meng got pregnant. So they used a so-called ‘electric ejaculator’, in order to help nature a little. They wanted to increase the chances.

On September 25th, it actually happened: Meng Meng gave birth to two baby pandas. At first they were blind and so tiny that even experts could not even establish their gender. By now they have tripled their weight and they do look like pandas. Nobody will mistake them for anything else.

Meng Meng is looking after them conscientiously, but she has human support. Her Chinese and German keepers want to minimize the risk. So they are shielding her, meaning no zoo visitors will see them for now. Also they let Meng Meng be with one of her babies at a time, since giant pandas usually raise one baby only, even when they give birth to two.

Political Pandas

The whole thing is sensational. It is the first time giant pandas were born in a German zoo, meaning this does not happen every day. On top of it all, Meng Meng seems to be a good mother. And they are all cute, all four of them. The number of giant pandas at Zoo Berlin just doubled.

But this is about more than just two cute pandas and their two babies living in a zoo. This is political. In 2015, Chancellor Angela Merkel started talking to the Chinese government about renting giant pandas for Zoo Berlin. In 2017, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived.

Merkel and China’s President Xi Jinping inaugurated Zoo Berlin’s ‘Panda Garden’ back then, which cost 9 million Euro (9.8 million Dollars or 8.2 million Pounds Sterling) to build. For the pandas, the zoo pays 1 million Dollars (830,000 Pounds) per year. Whether this amount will double, now that there are four pandas, is unclear.

Property of People’s Republic

But one thing is: The pandas are property of the People’s Republic of China. And that is where the little ones will move once they do not need their mother anymore, meaning in two to four years from now. Yes, they already have their tickets to Beijing, so to speak.

In the past, the two zoos in Berlin had a total five giant pandas. The first one, a male named Happy, came to Nazi Germany in 1939, at a time when Jews and members of other minorities were not only banned from the zoo, but already murdered in death camps. Chi Chi lived in the ‘Tierpark’, which was the zoo in East Berlin, capital of the communist GDR at the time. Tjen Tjen, Bao Bao and Yan Yan lived in West Berlin and unified Berlin between 1980 and 2007.

Looking at those wonderful animals is nice. So is shooting pictures of them with Chinese-made smart phones. The story about the pandas and their babies just seems a little less romantic, considering the financial, scientific and political aspects. Critics even say the Chinese regime was trying to hide its brutality behind cute pandas.

Today, the zoo said the little pandas’ weight was already 2 kilos (four and a half pounds) each. They would soon walk around and be able to see better. Their development was excellent. Both of them are 30 centimeters (1 foot) long by now.

Regarding the names and the gender of the two panda babies, the world will have to wait until they are 100 days old. Zoo Berlin is following a Chinese tradition here. Maybe that approach is part of the expensive contract.

]]>7511The Berlin Perspective: Meng Meng and the Silly Season Fillerhttps://berlinspectator.com/2019/08/27/the-berlin-perspective-meng-meng-and-the-silly-season-filler/
Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:13:57 +0000https://berlinspectator.com/?p=7233Silly seasons are not what they used to be. Besides, this summer's filler news was late. Besides, would you want your ultrasound in the newspaper? Really? O.k., but would you want the Governing Mayor to comment on it?]]>

Silly seasons are not what they used to be. Besides, this summer’s filler news item was late. Would you want your ultrasound in the newspaper? Really? O.k., but would you want the Governing Mayor to comment on it?

Ready? Here we go. In April, copulating pandas at Zoo Berlin made people happy, as if they had done it themselves. Yes, Jiao Qing ‘did’ Meng Meng. They achieved penetration. They had intercourse. Yes, they f***ed their brains out. And they did a pretty good job, as we know today.

We have to admit the following: What looks like a silly season filler, because it is, does qualify as news because it would be the first panda birth outside China in a long time. The whole thing is so sensational that Chinese experts came to Berlin in April, to watch panda porn, meaning the panda couple’s every move. And when we say “every”, we mean every.

Once the ultrasound with the evidence was available, the Red City Hall actually called Governing Mayor Michael Müller today, who is in China right now. No, he did not go there to talk about copulation among pandas, but rather about mobility in cities, science, mobility and culture.

So Müller stopped whatever he was doing during this important visit and commented on Meng Meng’s pregnancy. “With a lot of joy, I got the great news in the pandas’ Chinese home.” He said the beating heart of the panda embryo on the ultrasound recording was a good sign. Müller stated Berlin was hoping for a “black and white happy end”. Indeed.

Guys, next time make sure the silly season filler gets here during the silly season and not afterwards. This is like serving the turkey on Federal Tax Day or the chocolate Easter bunny for Hanukkah. What has the world come to?

]]>7233Marcel Moos: The Swiss who Keeps Austrian Goats in Bulgariahttps://berlinspectator.com/2018/06/22/marcel-moos-the-swiss-who-keeps-austrian-goats-in-bulgaria/
Fri, 22 Jun 2018 15:08:32 +0000http://berlinspectator.com/?p=305There are thousands of expatriates in Bulgaria. Some are infants, others study. There are expats who work in call centers, there are expat teachers, doctors, architects, missionaries, entrepreneurs and diplomats. And there is Marcel Moos. The Swiss national from the Canton of Zug probably has the most groundbreaking profession of them all. He is in […]]]>

There are thousands of expatriates in Bulgaria. Some are infants, others study. There are expats who work in call centers, there are expat teachers, doctors, architects, missionaries, entrepreneurs and diplomats. And there is Marcel Moos.

The Swiss national from the Canton of Zug probably has the most groundbreaking profession of them all. He is in the process of setting up a large goat farm in the Bulgarian Gabrovo province. So far, he has 210 Austrian goats. At some point, he plans to have 1000 animals in 5 stables. His farm is being supported by the European Union.

Moos has visted Bulgaria many times since the early 1990-s, and he says the country makes him feel at home.

Two and a half years ago, he purchased the land for his goat farm. A few months later, he started planning. In March of 2017, the construction work started. So far, there are two stables, a milking hall and a hay shed. There have been setbacks, but Marcel Moos will not be discouraged that quickly.

Imanuel Marcus spoke to him.

Some of Moos’ goats in their new Bulgarian home. Photo: Marcel Moos

The Berlin Spectator: How did you develop the idea to set up a goat farm in Bulgaria?

Marcel Moos: Ten years ago, I ran a Bulgarian company as their technical director. That was when I developed the wish to run my own project in Bulgaria. So I started thinking about what exactly I could do. After a while, I had two options. The first one was to build a holiday facility for handicapped people from the three German-speaking countries. This could have worked, but nobody was willing to help me. My second option was a goat farm.

The Berlin Spectator: How do your 210 goats behave?

Marcel Moos: Things are crazy around here, but that was to be expected. The goats settled in quite well and I have only had one loss. A German lady came here from Norway, in order to help me with the goats. I am glad she is here. Bulgarians usually treat animals differently. You know, when you want performance, the animals have to be able to live in peace. They should not be stressed, but feel well. It is what they call species-appropriate husbandry. The Bulgarians do not seem to see it that way.

The Berlin Spectator: Are your goats Bulgarian or Swiss?

Marcel Moos: They are actually Austrian. We have two kinds of species: Chamois Coloured goats and Toggenburg goats. Both are so-called high performance milk goats.

At his goat farm, Moos wants the animals to feel well and relaxed. Photo: Marcel Moos

The Berlin Spectator: Not only are you in the process of building your goat farm, but you actually transported a former kindergarten from Switzerland to Bulgaria. How did you manage to do so and why did you do this in the first place?

Marcel Moos: Yes, I live in the former kindergarten. It is 7 by 21 metres in size and an element construction. In Switzerland, they wanted to build a new kindergarten, so they needed to get rid of the old building. They even gave me 1000 Euro for taking it. Two large trucks with four men came from Bulgaria, in order to pick up the parts and bring them to my premises in Gabrovo. Over here, the building was reconstructed, while all the rooms were refurbished. I have a small apartment in this former kindergarten, and the employees have three rooms.

The Berlin Spectator: What about the stables for the goats?

Marcel Moos: They were built from scratch. On this land, there were bushes only. First, I needed to build a 2 kilometre long road built, in order to have access at all. Then they told me I had to build a large water reservoir, which cost money as well. Also I needed a transformer for the electricity. That one wasn’t cheap either.

The Berlin Spectator: This sounds very adventurous. So you have all of these goats now. What kind of products do you offer?

Marcel Moos: At this stage it is all about milk. We already have a local purchaser. Our goal is to have 1000 goats soon. If I don’t run out of funds beforehand, I will build a cheesery, at some point.

The Berlin Spectator: What have you learned about goats so far?

Marcel Moos: I already knew about goats, to a certain extent, since I had visited courses at an agricultural college beforehand. I also read a lot and visited other goat farms. Goats like to be outdoors. We will make sure they can be. We have a lot of land for that purpose. Later, we want to offer bio products. For those, grazing is a requirement anyway.

The Berlin Spectator: On a blue and white social media site, you recently posted something about “smart and less smart goats”. How do you establish whether a goat is smart or not?

Marcel Moos: Some of these animals are cunning indeed. In a “goat group” on Facebook, I communicate with other goat farmers on a regular basis. One lady said she had a goat which was able to open the lock of the box it lives in. She said she sometimes did not even notice when this happened. Another goat managed to open food boxes. Yet another one stood there, in front of an electric fence, moving its head. It actually waited for the moment between the electrical impulses, in order to jump right through the fence. That one is obviously a very special goat.